Tanner Houck has done all the Boston Red Sox have asked of him, no matter how it impacted his ego.
And for that, teammate Chris Sale is as impressed with how Houck has handled things off the field as he has on it.
After recovering from an injury, 25-year-old Houck has been back-and-forth between Triple-A Worcester and Boston's major league roster to give the Red Sox some roster flexibility. That couldn't have been easy, especially considering how much he's contributed to the team.
"He could not have handled it any better," Sale said, via MassLive's Christopher Smith. "He showed up, threw the ball with everything he had."
Sale echoed a claim manager Alex Cora has made in the past, about how Houck has been understanding and eager to make the most of every opportunity given to him, even if he'd already done enough to earn his spot on the team.
Houck's mentality during that time was admirable.
"He was really professional about that," Sale said. "And that's not something you easily grasp. You know what I mean? Like, 'Oh (expletive), I threw good today. Why can't I stay? I've got a good arm. I should be here.' And that’s almost as impressive."
Houck enjoyed a scoreless outing in his most recent start Saturday, going five full innings and giving up just three hits with no walks and seven strikeouts.
